Just a quick FYI to everyone: I have also posted this fic over on Archive of Our Own. I am still gonna make all the updates here first so no need to switch over if this is your preferred fanfic site, just giving everyone a heads up. It has the same title and I have the same author name so it should be easy to find.

Chapter 83

Davina hesitated to take her clothes off in front of Kol as he sat on the edge of the tub filled with steaming hot water. Her bottom still ached so she was sure it was still red as well and she didn't want him to see the after-effects of her punishment.

She scolded herself internally for not taking the time to heal herself after Klaus finished spanking her but Klaus threatened to spank her again if she did as if he knew exactly what she was thinking, and she didn't want to go through that horror again.

Kol looked up at her with saddened eyes. He knew exactly what she was thinking and he didn't even have to read her mind.

"Your brother's an asshole, y'know," she muttered, taking off her pajama top first and letting it fall to the floor.

"I know," he growled, keeping his eyes locked on hers as she dropped her pants. "And if I had the means to put him down for this, I would."

"I'm sure that could be arranged."

Kol cocked an eyebrow as she slipped into the tub. "What did you have in mind?"

Davina relaxed in the hot water, dunking her body completely under the bubbles until it covered her entire body. She closed her eyes and laid her head back against the porcelain tub. "Can't tell you. I don't want to pull you into it if it all goes wrong."

"Hey," Kol's hand against her cheek forced Davina to open her eyes and look at him. "We're a team, you and me. Whatever you're thinking about getting into, especially if it involves Nik, I'm going to help."

"But...if I fail and he finds out you were a part of it...he'll dagger you and hide the body so I'll never be able to find you."

Kol clenched his jaw and looked away from her. Klaus destroyed the daggers so there was no chance of him getting put down again...but his mind was immediately flooded with a thousand other awful punishments that his brother could dish out to him. He remembered how gentle his brothers were at the cabin before and after his switching, how they promised to change and stop treating him like a nuisance that they could just get rid of whenever he became too much to handle. But a part of him feared that they still would. He wasn't like Marcel, his brothers had broken promises to him before and he wouldn't be surprised if they broke that one too.

With a sigh, Kol began taking off his shirt.

"My wicked older brother doesn't have the daggers anymore," he said, as he began removing the rest of his clothes. "And even if he did, I would still do whatever I could to help you, Davina Claire, because..."

Davina moved over to the side of the tub, giving Kol room to slide in beside her. The water rose over their shoulders as Kol slid in, hip to hip, with her.

"You are the only person I know that I can trust."

"Is that so," she smiled as he leaned over, his hot breath brushing her cheek. "Then...I should be able to trust you too then, right?"

"Of course."

"Then tell me, Kol Mikaelson..." she brought her lips up to his, barely touching them together as she said, "Has Klaus ever spanked you?"

His jaw dropped at the unexpected question.

She pulled away from him, reading the change in his face as he tried to hide his shame and knew the answer to her question without him having to say a word.

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"There's nothing to tell," he bit, quickly climbing out of the tub, now too humiliated to be seen by his lover in the nude. "We've been together for a thousand years, of course my brother tagged me a time or two."

"Just a time or two?" she asked, climbing out behind him. "He talked like it happens all the time. He said, and I quote, 'You will be punished just like every other Mikaelson."

With a growl, Kol grabbed a towel from himself and tossed another one over to Davina, shame turning his entire body red as he dried himself. "Why does it matter? It's never going to happen to you again, I'm gonna make sure of it."

"It matters because we can't be in a serious relationship if you're keeping such important secrets from me, Kol."

"And how exactly was I ever supposed to tell you this one? Was I supposed to just come in your room one day with a red arse and say, 'Guess who got caught scheming with the enemy again? My big brothers really laid into me this time'."

"Brothers?"

Kol's eyes widened with the realization that he'd said too much.

"So Elijah does it too? Wait so..." She wrapped the towel around her body and sat down on the edge of the tub, bracing herself to ask the next question. "Do they really spank all of the Mikaelsons? Like...does Marcel get spanked too?"

-M-

Hayley sat in quiet contemplation as Elijah finished conveying the night's events to her, Freya, Niklaus, Rebekah, and Marcel in the drawing-room. Her heart nearly gave out when Elijah told them what Izzy said.

"Well," Rebekah clasped her hand around Marcel's as they sat side by side on the sofa next to Hayley. "One thing is for sure. Those children will never have to worry about being abandoned again."

A heavy breath released through Klaus's nose drew all eyes to him standing against the back wall.

"Brother," Elijah insisted. "Do you have something against Izzy and Oliver becoming Mikaelsons?"

"No," Klaus sighed. "Of course not. I have evolved past the need of your undivided love so there's no need for you to turn away another helpless pup who needs you for the sake of your selfish brother. However," Klaus's eyes fell to Marcel and Rebekah. "The two of you speak of children as if you're not but teenagers yourselves."

"Now wait just a minute, Klaus," Marcel leaped to his feet. "We are more than responsible enough to raise Oliver. I-"

"Took care of Davina when she needed you most." Klaus finished Marcel's sentence with a drag of annoyance. "I know but there is quite a difference in keeping a sixteen-year-old safe from a coven of homicidal witches and raising a toddler."

"You are not taking him from us, Nik," spat Rebekah. "End of discussion. We are his parents. He already thinks of us as his mommy and daddy."

Klaus rolled his eyes. He said nothing about Marcel and Rebekah 'playing house' with Oliver so far because a part of him always assumed the two little witches would eventually leave their home. If not to return to their real parents then perhaps to a suitable witch family in search of a spoiled four-year-old and a criminal teenager. Now that it was becoming clear that they were not going anywhere, Klaus was no longer so keen on the little experiment.

"The two of you frequently find yourselves tail end up and yet you believe you're ready to raise a child."

Crossing his arms over his chest, Marcel bit, "Well, you could always stop spanking us."

"Unlikely," Klaus curtly responded. "In fact, I find it increasingly hard at this moment to not give you a few quick swats for such shameless defiance."

"Niklaus," Elijah tutted. "Let's hear them out. They have, after all, kept the boy safe and alive since he's been here."

Scoffing at Elijah's interference, Klaus said, "And Marcellus kept his horses safe and alive when he was a boy. That didn't mean I was willing to let a ten-year-old raise a toddler."

"Then it's a good thing I'm not ten anymore," Marcel bit.

Klaus stared at Marcel in silence as if he was just once again seeing him for the man he'd grown into.

Rebekah stood beside Marcel, taking his hand one again as she said, "I know that you think that we are young, Nik. But we love that little boy. And there are humans out there right now, younger than us, who are becoming parents for the first time and they don't have the combined twelve-hundred years of wisdom the two of us have."

"I doubt you have the wisdom you think you do, little sister, or you would've known better than to compare yourself to idiot teenagers who couldn't figure out how to use protection."

"Rebekah," Freya walked from her spot by the fireplace, her eyes filled with empathy as she stared into Rebekah's. "Why don't you and Marcel go turn in for the night. Give us a second to talk to Niklaus alone."

"Talk to him all you want," Marcel growled as he marched towards the exit, Rebekah matching his steady gait. "Oliver is our son no matter what you say."

As the drawing-room door slammed behind them, Hayley sighed and said, "I think I'll go check on Izzy and turn in as well. This seems like one of those private 'Mikaelson siblings powwows'."

Elijah kissed Hayley's cheek as a silent thank you as the woman left him alone with his siblings.

"Niklaus," Freya started. "You can't be so obstinate. Rebekah and Marcel are right. They've taken care of that boy just fine so far."

"Yes, and how will they take care of him when he's...say, seventeen? And he wants to go to one of these sketchy witch parties these Quarter witches are always throwing? Mommy says no but 17-year-old Oliver realizes that mommy is no more intimidating than any of his other peers and he challenges her authority. What will she do then, hmm?"

A light chuckled from across the room drew Klaus glare over to Elijah. "If you think Rebekah is no more intimidating than any other 17-year-old then you have obviously been blinded by Big Brother Goggles. Rebekah can be quite fearsome when she wants to. As can Marcellus. I have no doubt that, as little Oliver grows older, he will continue to respect them as his parents in the same way Marcellus still respects you as his father even though, physiologically, the two of you are only a few years different in age."

Klaus huffed at Elijah's logic, no longer able to refute it.

"I think..." Freya walked slowly over to Klaus. "The problem is that you're just a bit incapable of seeing the two of them as mature adults capable of doing adult things. Which is probably why you spent the first century of Marcel's life trying to keep the two of them as far apart as possible."

Klaus scoffed, "Everyone's a psychiatrist."

"I'm serious, Klaus. You still view Marcel as that little boy you raised and, after spending the week with that child earlier this year, I can understand why. He was very sweet, back then. And he was never afraid to open up to you about what he was thinking or how he felt. But now...he's a man. He keeps secrets. He...has his own beliefs about what's right and wrong. He's no longer the child seeking your approval in every step of his life and that scares you."

Niklaus's face hardened at the truth.

"I know it's a hard pill to swallow, little brother," said Elijah, closing in the space between the three of them. "But taking that boy away from him isn't going to make Marcel the child you used to know again. He's only going to resent you."

Niklaus ran his hand over his face. "Fine," he bit. "I will let Marcel and Rebekah raise the boy. But if I'm right, don't come crying to me to get the boy under control in fifteen years."

Elijah relaxed into one of two the armchairs by the fireplace. "I assure you, brother. If Oliver ever gets beyond Rebekah and Marcellus's control, I will not need your help to get him back in line."

"Oh yes," Niklaus chuckled as he slipped into the chair across from Elijah. "Nobel Elijah grounds one teenager for running off into the night and now he is the paragon of a successful father."

"Well, let's not forget all of the thrashings I divvied out to Marcellus when you could not find the stomach to discipline him."

Klaus nodded as he grabbed the bourbon bottle sitting on the end table next to the fireplace. A silver tray with five crystal glasses sat beside it and as Klaus filled three of the glasses with a finger of whiskey, he muttered, "A skill that seems to allude me still. I gave Davina a thrashing in the bayou but, instead of understanding and submitting as I expected, it seems that she hates me even more."

"What?" Freya paused in her reach for the whiskey glass in shock of Klaus's announcement. "You spanked Davina?"

Klaus cringed at the disbelief in her voice. "I do not need a lecture, dear sister. Marcellus has already informed me that I overextended my reach and I will not be thrashing the harvest girl again." Taking a sip of whiskey, he added, "No matter how much she deserves it."

"I'm afraid none of us reserve the right to spank Davina, Niklaus," Elijah sighed. "Not after the torment, we put her through in her as life. At least...not yet. Until she begins to see us as her family, we must continue to treat her as Marcel's charge and Kol's beloved."

"Elijah's right." Freya grabbed her whiskey and sauntered over to take a seat on the sofa. "This family runs on a hierarchy but there are still some lines we should not cross. After what I helped Kol put Marcel through last Christmas, I have no right to ever attempt to discipline him. My reach extends as far as Rebekah, Kol, and Finn. And I suppose Izzy and Oliver too should any of you ever become indisposed for whatever reason, which I should hope never happens because I do enjoy being the fun-aunt."

"Not to worry," Elijah smirked. "Hayley and I are not going anywhere. With the exception of Davina, should any of the younger Mikaelsons step out of line, I will be there to delve out swift and just punishment."

"This exception thing is quite bothersome," Klaus groaned. "How can we be expected to run a family if one part of it is completely beyond our control."

"Don't you trust Marcel?" Freya asked.

"Have you met Marcellus?" Klaus forced a laugh. "I love him with my entire being but he proves to me more and more every day why he should not be trusted. Having Davina so far out of my control..." His finger tapped against the armrest of his chair. "It makes this all the more difficult."

"You have nothing to worry about, brother," Elijah said with quiet confidence. "I believe Marcellus has finally accepted his place in this family. He will not do anything, nor will he allow Davina to do anything, to cause this family harm."

Finishing off her whiskey, Freya stood and said, "I agree. This family is finally moving towards a place of peace. Marcel sees that and, in time, Davina will too." As she sat her empty glass back on the table between her brothers, she added, "Also, we need to get another chair in here...and everywhere else the two of you go to make decisions in this house. You're not the only heads of the household anymore, remember. There's a new member of congress, boys."

Klaus and Elijah couldn't help but chuckle as Freya turned to leave.

"Whatever you say, big sister."

-M-

The door to Izzy and Oliver's bedroom was already cracked when Hayley made it. She peeped inside quietly, not wanting to wake the girl if she was asleep.

Izzy laid in bed staring up at the ceiling, lost in her own thoughts and not noticing the werewolf Queen peeking in.

"Thought you'd be asleep by now," said Hayley, drawing the girl's attention from the ceiling.

Izzy eased over onto her arm to look Hayley in the eyes. "I was just...thinking."

Coming further into the room, Hayley asked, "About anything you'd like to talk about?"

Izzy shrugged as Hayley sat on the edge of her bed.

Hayley placed a comforting hand on the girl's shoulder as she stared down at her bedsheets.

"I'm...sorry that I broke curfew."

"Hey, it's alright," Hayley said with a smile that could be heard in her speech even though Izzy still refused to look at her. "I can't count how many times Hope has snuck off to be somewhere she's not supposed to be."

"Yeah, but...that's different. Hope...she's..."

"Blonde?"

"N-no. She's..."

"Short?"

Izzy finally looked up from the sheets to see Hayley's warm eyes staring back down at her.

"Look, I can't say I know exactly what you're going through but...I know what it's like to suddenly discover you're something you never thought was even possible. And I know what it's like to be abandoned by your family."

Hayley cupped Izzy's chin in her hand, coaxing the girl's eyes up to hers.

"But I swear this family will never abandon you."

"Do you...do you people really not care? About the whole...not-biologically-yours thing? Can you really just...accept someone into your home and love them like they're your own...even when they're not?"

Without missing a beat, Hayley answered, "Absolutely. Being in this family is not about who's blood you share. It's about...being with people you're willing to fight for."

"And...you'd fight for me?"

"In a heartbeat."

Izzy's eyes fell back to the sheets. "Thank you, Mrs. Marshall-Kenner. I know that I can be a lot sometimes but...I swear I'll be better from now on."

"I'm sure you will try," Hayley chuckled as she gave Izzy's shoulder a pat. "But we will love you even when you fail. That's what family is for, Izzy. I want you to remember that, sweetheart. Okay? No matter how badly you mess up, don't ever think that you can't come to your family for help."

Izzy nodded as a tear fell down her cheek. She quickly wiped it away and laid back down. "I...I should go to sleep now. It's late."

"Of course."

Izzy watched in reverent surprise as Hayley stood and pulled the blanket up over Izzy's shoulders, tucking her in for the night before placing a kiss on her forehead and saying, "Goodnight. See you at breakfast."

Izzy cuddled closer to her pillow as Hayley walked to the door. Then, under her breath, the girl muttered, "Thank you...Hayley. For...everything."

Hayley eased the door closed and whispered, "You're welcome, sweetheart."

Before turning in for the night, Hayley stopped by Hope's door to check on her wild little wolf one more time. She wasn't surprised to see the stubborn girl sitting in bed with her bedside lamp on, her tired eyes fighting sleep as she focused on the blank screen of her phone.

"You're supposed to be asleep," Hayley scolded lightly.

Hope jumped at the sound of her mom's voice. Her mind was so focused on the text she'd yet to receive that she didn't hear the woman sneak up on her.

Coming further into the room, Hayley held her hand out for Hope's phone. With a begrudging sigh, Hope handed it over. She was grateful when Hayley simply sat the phone on the desk across the room instead of taking it for the night.

"Expecting an important call?" Hayley joked as she walked back over to Hope's bed.

Her face tinting pink with shame, Hope answered, "No. It's...nothing." She laid back in her bed, pulling her pillow close. She didn't want to tell Hayley that she was waiting for Izzy and Davina to send her scalding messages of anger after finding out that she's tattled on them for leaving. She'd only told on them out of anger but now that she'd calmed down, she realized how bad a friend she was, but neither of them sent her a single message yet.

Hayley could tell that there was something wrong with Hope but she also knew her daughter's tells well enough to know that it was nothing too serious. So instead of forcing an answer out of her, she simply tucked her in and placed a kiss on her forehead before heading to the door.

"Hope," she said, standing in the doorway. "Thank you for coming to me about Izzy and Davina. You probably saved both of their lives tonight."

Hope quickly turned over in bed to face her mother. "Really? You think so?"

Suspecting that was what was keeping her daughter up, Hayley smiled and said, "Yes. I know it's hard to do the right thing when you think the people you care about won't like you for it, but family protects each other no matter what. You did the right thing, sweetie."

Hope hugged her pillow, not sure if Hayley was 100% right but the woman's assurance lifted enough guilt off of her shoulders to relax the girl into a dreamless sleep.

Thanks for the reviews! I have a couple more plot points I want to wrap up before I move on to the Legacies Crossover but I also want to know from you guys if you think I should just continue it on this story or start a new story for it. I thought maybe this story was getting too long for a sudden cross over but then I found a 300+ chapter Xmen fic and now I'm thinking maybe there's no such thing as a fanfic that's 'too long' lol